Netflix has added a new feature to its service as it seeks to find out more about the tastes of its subscribers.
The streaming giant has always given its customers the chance to rate the shows and movies they watch to help its algorithm offer up future recommendations, but previously that had been confined to two binary choices, “I like this” and “Not for me”. Now though, the streamer is branching out and it has added a third choice, “Love this!”.
At the moment, the feature only seems to be available on desktop and there are no details in Netflix’s guides about its arrival, but TechRadar has asked Netflix for comment as to its plans to roll out the feature across other platforms.
When a like isn’t enough…
Netflix tests new features all the time and it is quite transparent about that. The company blogs about it at regular intervals.
When, as Netflix does, you operate in so many territories and have access to so much data, the analytics bods are able to try things out and remove them from their platform at will. It could be that a change of picture or a different clip advertising a show on the platform could draw in more viewers or put them off.
But why does Netflix need to know if you ‘love’ something? Well, as the streaming giant produces more and more of its own content, it’s likely down to a drive to know if something is working and if viewers would like to see more of it.
As the makers of Archive 81 discovered yesterday (March 24) when their show got cancelled, despite rave reviews and seemingly good audience figures, it is getting harder and harder to win a second series. A bit of extra data might help Netflix decide whether to keep a show alive or shut it down.
So, if you love something, make sure you tell Netflix, because it really is survival of the fittest on the platform from now on…
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